At first glance this Warner Classics re-release of a 1990 Teldec disc appears
to have few redeeming features. The title of Christmas with London Brass
is hardly imaginative or inspiring, the packaging is equally bland and
despite the fact that the music itself needs little introduction, the liner-notes
are no more than a running list of the carols on offer.

Perhaps the only useful feature of the liner is a listing of the London Brass
players involved and an impressive “who’s who” of some of the UK’s finest
brass-playing talent it is.

London Brass has its origins in the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, the group
re-naming itself following the retirement of its founder in 1986. Several
of those players that were closely involved with the original group were still
actively involved in 1990. Amongst them were Frank Lloyd on French Horn and
trombonist David Purser, the latter recently having retired from his long
standing role as principal trombone with the London Sinfonietta.

The vast majority of the arrangements on the disc are the work of another
trombonist and former PJBE member Roger Harvey, with a handful of further
contributions from another leading trombonist, Simon Wills, trumpeter Andrew
Crowley and Leslie Pearson who also appears on the recording in the form of
organist in some of the more weighty arrangements.

The nineteen arrangements featured range from the familiar and traditional
fare of carols such as Silent Night and O come all ye faithful,
via one of John Rutter’s most popular modern takes on the medium in the delightful
Shepherd’s Pipe Carol, to Winter from Vivaldi’s The Four
Seasons. By and large, all are effectively transcribed for the medium
with varying degrees of licence in terms of harmonic and melodic elaboration.

In the case of favourites such as The First Nowell and O Come all
ye Faithful, relatively little is done to deviate from what we have come
to expect, albeit the latter having been embellished with a rousing fanfare
to commence. Leslie Pearson’s arrangement of O Come Emmanuel on the
other hand gives us what amounts to a fantasia on the ancient melody, whilst
in one of a select handful of skilful arrangements by Simon Wills another
ancient melody, Quem Pastores Laudavere is presented as a prelude and
fugue with several other carols woven into the texture along the way. Listen
out for the same arranger’s gently witty, Satie-esque treatment of Silent
Night, with the melody as you have never heard it before.

Elsewhere Roger Harvey takes The Coventry Carol, a sonorous melody
well suited to the majestic sounds of London Brass, and gives it a striking
martial central climax, with Gabriel’s Message being placed within
a similar renaissance style context, elaborated with a fine contribution from
piccolo trumpet.

With a group of performers as talented as this, the playing is second to none
and although some non-hardened brass enthusiasts might find the disc a little
much to take at one sitting, this is one of those Christmas discs that should
provide considerable enjoyment when dipping into over a mince pie from time
to time during any Festive season.